In my case I used it both with the Light Mod, but also some microphones as I’ll show below in the next section. The big downside is the length of the wire from the camera to your lapel, however wireless lavalier mics free this up and even allow you to have crystal clear audio commentary a long distance away from the camera. It also upgraded to the GP2 processor, which has significantly improved the overall speed and handling of the camera too. And last but not least, you can charge the entire setup (meaning, your GoPro) using the USB-C port on the outside. This is one major benefit to the Media Mod design, is that it has an externally accessible USB-C port for constant power-on charging if you want it: Next to that is the micro-HDMI port as well as the 3.5mm audio port. We’ll get into those in just a moment. Microphone & Audio Modes:

Boasting up to 5K at 60 frames per second, super slow mo 2.7K at 240 frames per second and even 4K at 120 frames per second – if you’re dealing with action or slow mo footage this is the GoPro for you.

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And there are plenty of options to choose from for all setups and of course budget, but here are some of the most commonly used ones; Shotgun Mics Honestly though if you’re setting off soon, want to sort everything before you go, are serious about getting into vlogging and of course have the budget then I’d say audio is something you really need to be thinking about. The GoPro Media Mod is a mixed bag, and your opinion of the accessory will largely depend on what you intend to use it for. If your desires center entirely around the 3.5mm input, then you’ll likely be quite pleased with the more streamlined option compared to the clunky adapter GoPro has previously had for years. Especially with the cold-shoe mounts. It works pretty darn well. So if you’re looking at the Hero 8 or Hero 9 as your GoPro for vlogging and are prepared to make some additional investment to bump up the audio quality the Media Mod + external mic combo is the way to go.

Has anyone else experienced issues like this? Obviously the easiest fix would be to enable wind reduction on the GoPro audio but I'm really trying to avoid this where possible.

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There are a few decent options out there but still not ideal as they were pretty clunky – but they did sow the seeds for the Media Mod. For example, the GoPro Light Mod being one ( full standalone review on that here), but also secondary microphones or anything else with a cold-shoe mount design (which is a lot of stuff). Sure the 360 filming is handy and opens up some really creative options to play with and Hero mode (where it shoots like a normal GoPro, through only one lens) is the most stable filming on any GoPro – but it is limited to 1080 which is a bit of a confusing move by GoPro and a deal breaker for a lot of vloggers. Here’s a Pro Tip for you: Notice how the groove at the bottom of the Media Mod only goes to one direction? This is the direction you should put the screw in from. Sure, you can technically screw it from either side, but this makes it easier to get the screw all the way in. Obviously, the correct setup here would have been to use a microphone with it. Which, is what I did the next day for a similar (also still unpublished) walk-through. So let’s talk about that.

Obviously the proof in how good a GoPro For Vlogging really is are the real life examples of videos created by everyone with them. Although the in built audio is also the best of the GoPro range – but a Hero 9 + media mod still comes in cheaper than the MAX on its own. Except... I am now asking questions about the wind noise and how to minimise it. Previously I had been running the GoPro Hero 7, on a chest mounted gimbal with small adhesive dead cats covering the microphones. I had disabled wind reduction to avoid the muffled sounding audio and that was working great.All the microphones given in the above list are highly rated products. You can choose any one of them based on your own taste and preferences.

Now the GoPro range have never been known for their epic audio quality – and although the Hero 7 upped the game and the Hero 8 built on this even more, for serious creators audio was still a huge barrier for using a GoPro for vlogging, especially over the likes of the Canon G7 X or Sony A6400with their option for external mics and flip up screens. These are the most commonly used option for Vloggers and attach to the cold shoe mounts on the top of the camera (or GoPro media) mod. Often seen with the fluffy “dead cat” wind stopper.Easy to install and instantly ready to go as soon as you power on the camera. I’ve added in the GoPro MAX as a bit of a curve ball here. Some people are touting it as the ultimate GoPro For vlogging, but I’m still not sure it deserves that title.Another awesome feature is the Horizon Levelling mode (borrowed from the GoPro MAX) which makes for super steady footage. I suspect the reason for the vast majority of people buying the Media Mod is for the 3.5mm mic port. Or at least the internet would say so (and I’d believe them). However, we’ll start with the onboard shotgun mic. But we’ll be brief, because…umm…it’s not awesome. For those who want something that’s simply the best in terms of build quality, brand and performance, the Rode SmartLav+ Lavalier Microphone is a wonderful option. However, if you want to go for a budget microphone for the audio recording of your motorcycle adventures, then the Vidpro XM-L Wired Lavalier Condenser Microphone is the perfect choice. Obviously the advantage of the Hero 9 or 10 though is already having the inbuilt, front facing screen, so no need for the LCD Mod on that one.